Religion in Mississippi History Research Fellowship

This fellowship is made possible by a grant through Lilly Endowment’s Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative, the Religion in Mississippi History Research Fellowship supports scholarly research using the many archival collections concerning religious history in Mississippi at the MDAH. The fellowship seeks to nurture scholars at the beginning of their academic careers to increase their lifelong interest in history and to promote continued academic and public appreciation of the study of religious history in Mississippi.

The fellowship recipient must be a student enrolled in a graduate or doctoral program at an accredited college or university.

The fellowship recipient will receive:

• A $5,000 stipend
• 50 photocopies and 7 high-resolution scans of archival materials gratis
• Entry to the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and Museum of Mississippi History (2MM)

The fellow is expected to:

• Conduct research in the wealth of archival collections concerning religious history in Mississippi at the William F. Winter Archives and History Building in Jackson, MS. 
• Conduct research during May to September 2025 for a minimum of two weeks.
• Give a presentation on research findings at the conclusion of the stay.
• Submit a summary report on research findings.

• Travel
• Accommodations
• Food
• Additional photocopies and scans of archival materials
• Other expenses during the recipient’s time researching at the archives

• Computer equipment (hardware or software)
• Childcare
• Photo framing/matting

The stipend will be paid in two increments. The first payment will be given at the start of the fellow’s stay with the final payment given upon submission of the summary report.

Complete the online application here and include the following materials:

• Proposal (no more than five pages, typed, double-spaced)
• Curriculum Vitae
• Two Letters of Recommendation must be emailed from your academic advisors/professors to fellowships@mdah.ms.gov for your application to be considered
• Optional supporting materials (no more than 20 pages)

A downloadable PDF application is also available and may be submitted via email to fellowships@mdah.ms.gov.

March 7, 2025, at 11:59 pm CST.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Mississippi religious history collections at MDAH by visiting the catalog. See selection criteria for more information.

• Describe the proposed research topic
• Explain the research methodology, including a brief description of preliminary research and a selected bibliography
• Use of MDAH holdings indicated by collection title, series number, and series title
• Intended research product(s) (examples include: a paper, thesis, dissertation, article, book, lecture, exhibit, broadcast, and/or website)
•  Anticipated schedule (minimum two weeks during May to September 2025)
• Estimated expenses (travel, housing, other expenses)

The recipient will be notified by April 4, 2025.

A recipient is selected based on the following criteria:

Scholastic contribution:

• How will this proposed work contribute to the scholarly research on religious history in Mississippi and/or the nation?
• What is the potential of this applicant to contribute to new and unexplored understandings of history, movements, and changes in religion in Mississippi?
• How will this proposed work contribute to scholarly research on history of religion or cultures of faith, and contribute new understandings of this overall topic?
• How will the product promote or encourage future study of the topic?

Proposed research topic, methodology, use of MDAH holdings, and research product(s):

• How will this research utilize the primary resources at MDAH?  How appropriate are collections on religious history and other MDAH holdings to this research? 
• What is the proposed research methodology?
• How innovative is the proposed research?
• What is the overall quality and clarity of the proposal?
• Is the product appropriate to the research topic?

Anticipated schedule: Is the schedule reasonable and does it include adequate research time on-site during the two-week minimum stay?

Estimated expenses (travel, housing, and other): Are expenses reasonable and in accordance with the guidelines presented?

Curriculum vitae and Letters of recommendation from academic advisors. 

Lilly Endowment, Inc. and MDAH may have the opportunity to utilize the product(s) if they are deemed appropriate and of benefit to the sponsoring parties.

For additional information and questions about the Religion in Mississippi History Fellowship, email fellowships@mdah.ms.gov or call 601-576-6889.